Avec passion

As Printed on a Score

Printed above the staff or over the voice, usually at an emotional climax. It sets the passage’s character until another marking replaces it.

How Composers Use It

The French counterpart of con passione or appassionato: intense, warm, wholehearted delivery with expressive rubato and full tone. It belongs naturally to Romantic song and salon music. Because passion is open-ended, the result depends on context: give the dynamic, and say whether the tempo should be pressed or broadened as well.

Example

Bizet, Feuilles d’album, “Adieux à Suzon”, voice, m. 49: “avec passion”; the song opens “Allegro moderato.”.

Related Terms